Marielle Smith

Marielle Catherine Feuerherdt Smith (born 30 December 1986) is an Australian politician. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has served as a Senator for South Australia since 2019.

Senator

Marielle Smith
Senator for South Australia
Assumed office
1 July 2019 (2019-07-01)
Personal details
Born
Marielle Catherine Smith

(1986-12-30) 30 December 1986[1]
Sydney, Australia
Citizenship
  • Australian
  • British (to 2018)[1]
Political partyALP
Alma materAustralian National University
London School of Economics
OccupationPolitician

Early life

Smith was born in Sydney.[2] Her mother was born in the United Kingdom and she held British citizenship by descent until renouncing it in 2018 prior to running for parliament.[1] Smith attended University Senior College in Adelaide.[3] She holds the degrees of Bachelor of Arts from the Australian National University and Master of Science from the London School of Economics.[2] After graduating from ANU she joined the Australian Public Service through the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet's graduate program.[3]

Smith has undertaken volunteer work with non-government organisations in Ghana and Sierra Leone.[3] She is a former board member of Transit Systems, a bus company co-founded by her father Neil.[4][5] She can drive articulated buses.[6]

Politics

Smith joined the Australian Labor Party (ALP) at a young age. She worked for Labor MP Kate Ellis as a researcher (2005–2008) and ministerial adviser (2010–2012), and later as a senior policy adviser to Prime Minister Julia Gillard. She regards both Ellis and Gillard as mentors.[7]

In 2017, Smith was elected to the ALP state executive and state council. She also served as a delegate to the Australian Labor Party National Conference.[2] In 2018, she was a preselection candidate for the Division of Adelaide.[8]

Senate

Smith was elected to the Senate at the 2019 federal election. She is a member of several Senate committees.[2] She has been identified as a member of the Labor Right faction.[8]

In her maiden speech to the Senate, Smith called for Labor to retain its 2019 election policy of funding preschool for three-year-olds "to ensure all children can access world-leading early education and care, regardless of what their parents do, how much they earn or where they live."[9]

Personal life

Smith is married with one child and three step-children.[10] Her husband Clint Feuerherdt is the managing director of SeaLink Travel Group and former CEO of Transit Systems.[11]

References
  1. Smith, Marielle. "Qualification Checklist" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  2. "Senator Marielle Smith". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  3. "USC Old Scholars Update: Marielle Smith (Class of 2004)". University Senior College. 29 May 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  4. "Transit Systems new depot". Australasian Bus & Coach. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  5. "In Transit". Coach & Bus. 14 May 2014. pp. 32–34. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  6. Mayfield, Greg (25 January 2019). "Labor candidate Marielle Smith visits Pirie auto-shop". The Recorder. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  7. Gailberger, Jade (20 May 2019). "Meet SA's newest Labor Senator, Marielle Smith". The Advertiser. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  8. Harmsen, Nick (13 April 2018). "New South Australia electoral boundaries serve Labor food for thought as Mark Butler waits on a seat". ABC News. Retrieved 28 August 2020. Marielle Smith, a one-time adviser to Ms Ellis and a current adviser to former Prime Minister Julia Gillard has confirmed to the ABC she intends to nominate for the seat when preselection opens.
  9. Gailberger, Jade (11 September 2019), "Expand, don't abandon preschool policy, Senator Marielle Smith warns in maiden speech", The Advertiser, retrieved 24 August 2020
  10. "Marielle Smith". Australian Labor Party. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  11. "SeaLink gears up for $635m buyout of Transit Systems". AdelaideNow. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
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